Judge Allows Suit Against Gun Maker to Move Forward

A judge in California reinstated a lawsuit against gun manufacturer Glock Inc. this week which had been filed by a police officer who was paralyzed after his 3-year-old shot him by accident.

Earlier this year, a Los Angeles judge dismissed a lawsuit, filed two years ago by Enrique Chavez, a Los Angeles police officer who claimed that his Glock 21 service pistol had too light a trigger pull and wasn't equipped with a grip safety, a device that attaches to a gun that requires deactivation before firing.

The California Second Court of Appeal reversed the lower court's dismissal on Tuesday, opining that a jury could find that a grip safety may have reduced the risk of an accidental discharge without affecting the gun's performance.

Chavez was driving his vehicle in 2006 when he was shot in the back by his 3-year-old son, who was playing with the gun after finding it in the back seat.